Maryland House Democrats have selected Adrienne Jones to become the state’s 107th speaker, making her the first African American and first woman to be selected for the position.
Jones, 64, represents Baltimore County and has been the speaker pro tem since 2003. Her selection comes as somewhat of a surprise after a drawn-out, contentious fight between Delegates Maggie McIntosh and Dereck Davis. Jones pulled out of what had been a three-way battle last week and threw her support behind Davis of Prince George’s County.
The House is selecting a new speaker to succeed the late Michael E. Busch, the longest-serving speaker in Maryland history. Busch died on April 7.
Democrats hold a super-majority in the House and were thought to have control over who became the next speaker. However, they struggled to unify on a single candidate in the days leading up to the May 1 special session.
The Legislative Black Caucus indicated its support of Davis, a black man who has served in the House since 1995. House Republicans planned to put all 42 of their votes for Davis as well. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party, then sent a memo to Democratic lawmakers warning them of possible sanctions if they cut a deal with the GOP.